Combined chair and table.



A. W. MACON. COMBINED CHAIR AND TABLE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1911.

, Patented Fab. 5,1918.

" eras PATEN oration.

ALEXANDER W. MACON, OF DALLAS, TEXAS, ASSIG1\TOR TO VIRGIL O. ROSSER,01? DALLAS, TEXAS, AND HARRY ID, MARTIN, 0F sHELBYVILLE, KENTUCKYCOMBINED CHAIR AND TABLE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER V. MACON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas, and State of Texas, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Combined Chairs and Tables, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined chair and table, and the primaryobject of the same is to provide a furniture organization comprisingsupporting means or a seat with side arms and a shiftable or swingingmember or combined back and table top associated with the supportingmeans in such manner that it may be readily moved or swung to form asupporting back in relation to either one of two sides of the supportingmeans or seat, or be disposed horizontally over the seat and arms toform a positively held table top, the shiftable member or back requiringonly a minimized disengaging or lifting movement to permit it to swingover in either direction from a horizontal position to serve as a backfor the supporting means or seat. A further object of the invention isto provide a combined chair and table comprising supporting means or aseat with side arms and a shiftable or swinging member or combined backand table top and simple devices in part secured to portions of the sidearms and in part to brackets secured to and serving as the operativemeans for the said combined back and table top and whereby the lattermay be positively and reliably held in either of its adjusted positionswithout liability of displacement or loose movement. A still furtherobject of the invention is to provide a combined chair and tablecomprising supporting means or a seat with side arms and a shiftable orswinging member or combined back and table top movably connected toportions of the side arms by simple and effective means of aninexpensive character and strong and durable nature.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the inventionconsists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts whichwill be more fully hereinafter described and claimed,

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved combined chair and table,partially Patented Feb. 5, 1915.

Serial No. 174,302.

broken away, and showing the same arranged as a table in full lines andas a chair in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectio11 taken in the plane of the line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section showing a portion of thecombined chair and table and particularly illustrating in full anddotted lines the operation of the brackets relatively to the side armsand the connecting or associating means between the said brackets andside arms, the brackets being shown in full and dotted lines.

The improved combined chair and table comprises essentially a supportingmeans or seat 5 with side arms 6 and a combined table top and back 7.The supporting means or seat 5 may be of any suitable construction andupholstered as desired and has corner posts 8 secured thereto andextended above and below the same, the lower portions of the postsforming legs and the upper parts of the posts above the seat serving asportions of the side arms 6, the latter being connected at their upperends by arm rests 9. Between the arm rests and the opposite ends of theseat 5 slats 10 are interposed; and between the slats are central panels11 of sufficient width to permit the application thereto of connectingdevices which will be presently explained and strong enough to resistbreakage and give the combined table top and back 7 a reliable support.particularly when arranged as a back at either one of two sides of thechair structure. In the top portions of the end rails 12 of the seat 5adjacent to the opposite side edges of the central panels 11, shallowsockets 13 are formed. as clearly shown by Figs. 2 and 3. At a suitableelevation above the top of the seat 5 and disposed in vertical alinementin each panel 11 are studs 14 having their heads projected inwardly, asclearly shown by Fig. 2, and spaced a predetermined distance apart.

The combined table top and back 7 mainly consists of a flat plate ormember 15 having brackets 16 secured to opposite sides thereof at thecenter. the ends of the brackets at tached to the plate or member 15being diverged to form arms 17 which are firmly secured to the plate ormember. and the opposite end of each bracket being free and diverged andformed with feet 18 having buttons or hemispherical dowels 19 in theirfree ends, as shown by dotted and full lines in Figs. 2 and 3, saidbuttons or dowels being adapted to engage the sockets 13 in the topportions of the rails 12. The brackets 16 serve as supports for thecombined table top and back 7 when the latter is arranged horizontallyand also as supporting or hold ing means when the combined tabletop or 7back is swung over to serve as a back at either one of two sides of thechair. When the brackets are in vertical position and engage the rails12 the combined table top and back is held in a horizontal position atan elevation above the arm rests 9, and during the movement of the saidcombined table top and back from one position to another a completeclearance of contact with relation to the upper surfaces and ends of thearm rests 9 ensues in view of the particular connection of the bracketswith the panels 11 in a manner-which will now be explained. On the outerside of each bracket a plate 20 of inverted approximately Y-form issecured and has a straight vertical slot 21 in the upper portion thereofcontinuing into divergent downwardly extending slots 22, the platebetween the slots 22 continuing upwardly to an angle or point, as at 23,and adjacent thereto where the slots 21 and 22 intersect an enlarged orswitch slot 24: is formed. Each bracket 16 is formed with a recess 25having a contour precisely corresponding to the slots 21 and 22, but ofgreater width than the latter in order that the opposite edge ,walls 26of the slots'21 and 22 will project over or overhang the slots 21 and 22and the enlarged switch slot 24. The studs 14 engage and are movable inthe recess 25., and the heads 27 of these studs are held against theinner surfac of the plate or the side edge walls of the slots 21 and 22.By this means the studs 14 are retained in positive movable associationwith the plates 20 and the brackets 16 are thus connected to the panels11. The edges of the walls of the slots 21 and 22 at their point ofintersection and mergence continue in regular curves, as at 28, and theangle or point 23 is also rounded, as at 29, so that the studs 14 willnot become jammed or caught during their shifting movement in the slots21' and 22, but will regularly slide from one into the other inaccordance with the adjustment of the brackets 16 and combined table topand back 7. As clearly shown by Fig. 3, when the combinedtable top andback 7 is adjusted to form a back the studs 1 1 engage the up pervertical slots 21 of the plates 20, the uppermost stud bracing againstthe upper terminals of the slots 21 and the lower stud positionedadjacent to the switch slots 24 or close to the point of intersectionof. the slots I21 and 22, When the combined tabletop view of thedivergent character of the two slots 22; and when the combined table topand back has assumed a horizontal position the brackets 16 will bevertically disposed and their buttons or dowels 19 will be in engagementwith the sockets 13 in the rails 12. "When thebrackets 16 are inupright; or vertical positions and thecombined table top and back in ahorizontalplane, as shown by Fig. 1, the two studs lawill then restfirmly in the upper vertical slots 21, as shown by ful nes n g 3, 116 byhis m ns. t e table top 7v will be positivelyheld in: it movableposition over the chair seat and at an elevation above the armrests 9.When itis desired to shift or swing the combined table top or back 'ifrom the horizontal position, as shown by Fig. 1, to the dotted'positionshown by the same figure a slight or minimized lift imparted to thecombined table top and back will disengage the buttons or dowels 19 fromthe sockets 18 and the said combined table top and back may then beswung over to one side of theseat and arms 5 and 6 and the studs 14 willthen occupy the positions shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, or engage thelower terminals of the divergent slots 22 of the plates 20. It will beunderstood that the combined table top from the rails 12 and are turnedto permit the combined table top or back 7 to serve as a. chair back thefree ends of said brackets, comprising the feet 18, will stand clear ofengagement with any part of the improved combined chair and table closeto the inner sides of the panels 11 and will not in the least interferewith the use of the device as a chair.

It will be seen that the connecting and operating means interposedbetween the brackets 16. and the panels 11 are of simple and strong anddurable form, and ready assemblage thereof may be had; and, more.- over,theexpense of constructing a combined chair and table of this type isreduced to a minimum. Furthermore, the studs 14 and slotted plates 20are connected between the brackets 16 and the panels 11, and. nofastening or connecting devices penetrate said bracketsand panels 'norare they dis,- cernible from the inner sides of the brackets oroutersides of the panels. By this means a finish; is remdueetl. and. conta t.or en' gagement of the hands and arms as well as the apparel of the userwith the said fastening or connecting means is prevented.

The seat 5 or the arms 6 may be provided with any of the usual forms ofracks or other appurtenances that may be desired, and in the presentinstance the seat is shown as equipped with a drawer 30 for receivingmagazines, papers or other matter that may be desired'to be placedtherein.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a combined chair and table of the class specified, a supportingmeans having a seat and side members extending upwardly therefrom, ashittable member embodying a fiat component with brackets cen trallyextending from the opposite sides thereof, the brackets being shit'tableeither forwardly or rearwardly over the supporting means between theside members, slotted plates secured to the inner sides of the seat sidemembers, and fixed spaced studs arranged in vertical alinement in pairsat each side and held by and projecting from the outer sides of the saidbrackets and engaging the slotted plates and regularly movable in thelatter, the plates and studs being concealed between the seat sidemembers and the brackets to avoid exposure or projection of any part ofthe studs or plates respectively at the inner sides of the brackets andthe outer sides of the side members of the seat.

2. In a combined chair and table of the class specified, a supportingmeans having a seat and side members rising therefrom, a shiftablemember embodying a flat component with brackets at opposite sides of thecenter thereof mounted to move between said side members and to bear onopposite portions of the seat to support the flat component in stablehorizontal position, spaced vertically alined headed projecting devicesextending outwardly from the outer sides of the brackets in pairs, andslotted devices secured against the inner sides of the side members ofthe seat and engaged by said pairs of headed projecting devices, theheaded projecting devices fitting in the slotted devices and having asliding connection with relation to the latter and wholly concealedbetween the brackets and the side members rising from the seat, theslotted devices having divergent slots to permit the shiftable member tomove in opposite directions, the brackets and the portions of the seatengaged thereby having co-acting means to prevent the flat componentfrom shifting from horizontal position until manually released.

3. In a combined chair and table of the class specified, a supportingmeans having a seat and side members, a shiftable member embodying aflat component with brackets, vertically alined pairs of studs securedto the central portions of the side members, and slotted plates havingupper vertical and lower divergent slots and secured to the brackets andengaged by the vertically alined pairs of studs, the studs and platesbeing interposed and concealed between the brackets and portions of theside members carrying the studs.

t. In a combined chair and table of the class specified, a supportingmeans having a seat and side members, a shiftable member embodying aflat component with brackets, means on the brackets having slots,portions of the slots being divergent, and pairs of headed projectingdevices secured to portions of the side members and engaging the slotsof the said means on the brackets.

5. In a combined chair and table of the class specified, a supportingmeans having a seat and side members, a shiftable member embodying afiat component with brackets terminating at one end of each in feetprovided with hemispherical dowels, the opposite side portions of theseat being provided with shallow sockets to receive the said dowels, andvertically alined headed projecting devices and slotted meansrespectively secured to the adjacent sides of and located between theside members and brackets and having a slidable and pivotal engagingoperation.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ALEXANDER W. MACON.

Witnesses ROY DAsHER, MARIA KAMINSKI.

testes of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, I). C.

